2/11/19

"THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS" Faith That Pleases God (11:1-7) by Mark Copeland


"THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS"

Faith That Pleases God (11:1-7)

INTRODUCTION

1. A key concern in this epistle is that Christians remain strong in"faith"...
   a. There is the danger of developing "a heart of unbelief" - He 3:12
   b. It was the lack of faith that destroyed Israel in the wilderness
      - He 3:16-19

2. In chapter ten, we saw...
   a. An exhortation to "draw near with a true heart in full assurance
      of faith" - He 10:22
   b. An admonition to have that faith which endures to the end - He 10:35-39; cf. 6:11-12

3. But one might ask...
   a. What is this "faith" which leads "to the saving of the soul"?
   b. How does this faith manifest itself in the lives of those who possess it?

4. In chapter eleven, we find the answer to such questions...
   a. With a definition of faith - He 11:1
   b. With a mention of how necessary faith is to please God - He 11:6
   c. With examples of Old Testament saints who demonstrated saving
      faith - He 11:3-40

[In this lesson, we shall focus our attention on the first seven verses
as we examine the "Faith That Pleases God". In verses 1-3, we see...]

I. FAITH EXPLAINED (1-3)

   A. FAITH IS "CONFIDENCE" AND "CONVICTION"...
      1. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for..." (NKJV)
         a. The Greek word translated "substance" is hupostasis {hoop-os'-tas-is}
         b. Literally, it means "to stand under", i.e., to be a foundation
         c. As translated in He 3:14, it means "confidence"; i.e., firm trust, assurance
         d. Other translations illustrate that the main idea is "confidence"...
            1) "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for..." (NIV)
            2) "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for..." (NRSV, NASB)
      2. "...the evidence of things not seen." (NKJV)
         a. The Greek word translated "evidence" is elegchos {el'-eng-khos}
         b. It means "conviction"
         c. How other versions translate this phrase...
            1) "certain of what we do not see." (NIV)
            2) "the conviction of things not seen." (NRSV, NASB)

   B. PERTAINING TO THINGS "HOPED FOR" AND "NOT SEEN"...
      1. Faith is confidence about things hoped for, such as...
         a. The coming of our Lord - Tit 2:13
         b. The resurrection of the dead - Ac 24:15
         -- It was this kind of confidence possessed by the OT saints 
            that pleased God - He 11:2
      2. Faith is conviction about things we have not seen, such as...
         a. The existence of God: "whom no man has seen or can see," - 1Ti 6:16
         b. How the world began: "the worlds were framed by the word of God" - He 11:3
         -- Yet faith is that strong conviction that such matters are true

[As expressed in verse 2, the "elders obtained a good testimony"
because of their faith.  The rest of the chapter is filled with 
illustrations of the faith possessed by these "elders". The first three
mentioned were "antediluvians" (living before the flood), and in them we see...]

II. FAITH EXEMPLIFIED (4-5,7)

   A. THE TESTIMONY OF ABEL ("FAITH WORSHIPPING")...
      1. By faith he "offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain" - He 11:4
         a. The reference is to Gen 4:3-5
            1) Cain's offering was "of the fruit of the ground"
            2) Abel's offering was "of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat."
            3) It is said the Lord "respected" Abel's offering, but not Cain's
         b. Why did God respect Abel's offering, but not Cain's?
            1) It may have been that God had specified an animal sacrifice
            2) It may be Cain offered "left-overs", while Abel offered
               his best (the firstborn)
            3) Cain's attitude may have been wrong; he certainly showed
               himself prone to display envy and hatred, capable of murder!
            4) Perhaps most likely, Abel offered his with "faith" while Cain did not
      2. Through faith Abel "obtained witness that he was righteous" - He 11:4
         a. God certainly testified of his righteousness in showing respect to his offering
         b. Jesus also bore witness to the righteousness of Abel - Mt 23:35
         c. The apostle John also - 1Jn 3:12
      3. Through his faith, "he being dead still speaks" - He 11:4
         a. His example of faith was written for our learning - Ro 15:4
         b. His example of faith continues to warn us in regards to worshipping God

   B. THE TESTIMONY OF ENOCH ("FAITH WALKING")...
      1. By his faith, Enoch "was translated so that he did not see   death" - He 11:5
         a. The historical reference alluded to is Gen 5:21-24
         b. Like Elijah, he did not experience death - cf. 2Ki 2:1-11
      2. His faith was such that "he pleased God" - He 11:5
         a. What God found pleasing is that he "walked with God" - Gen 5:21,24
         b. His example of faith illustrates the value of walking with God throughout life

   C. THE TESTIMONY OF NOAH ("FAITH WORKING")...
      1. By faith Noah. "moved with godly fear" - He 11:7
         a. The scriptural background is Gen 6:1-22
         b. God warned him about "things not seen" (cf. He 11:1); i.e., the coming flood
         c. His confidence (faith) in what God said would happen 
            prompted him to act with reverence toward God
      2. By faith Noah "prepared an ark for the saving of his household" - He 11:7
         a. His faith moved him to do "according to all that God
            commanded him" - Gen 6:22; 7:5
         b. Through such faith working, Noah...
            1) "condemned the world"
               a) His own example of faithfulness stood in stark contrast to others
               b) His obedience magnified the lack of obedience in others
               -- Just as Nineveh will condemn those who did not listen to Jesus - Mt 12:41
            2) "became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith"
               a) He received the standing of being right in God's eyes
               b) It was his faith that so pleased God!
            3) Demonstrated that faith and works are not necessarily
               contrary to one another - cf. Ga 5:6; Jm 2:14-26

[From the examples of these "antediluvian" saints we learn that the
faith is a strong conviction that "worships" God properly, "walks" with
Him in life, and "works" as He directs.

That such faith is necessary to please God is evident as we go back to 
verse six and notice...]

III. FAITH EMPHASIZED (6)

   A. WITHOUT FAITH IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD...
      1. We have seen how Abel, Enoch, and Noah "obtained a good
         testimony" by their faith
      2. Of Enoch in particular it is said "he pleased God" - He 11:5
      3. Whether we are "worshipping", "walking", or "working", faith 
         must be the motivating factor behind it all
      -- Without faith, then, there is nothing we can do that will please God!

   B. THE FAITH WHICH PLEASES GOD...
      1. Includes conviction "that believes that God is"
         a. We must believe there is a God, and He is the God of the Bible
         b. Though we do not see Him, we have conviction in "things not seen" - He 11:1b
      2. Includes confidence "that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him"
         a. We must believe that God acts on the part of those seek 
            after Him - cf. 1Ch 28:9; 2Ch 16:9
         b. It is regarding such "things hoped for", that we must have confidence - He 11:1a
      -- Such was the faith seen in the lives of Abel, Enoch, and Noah;
         one might ask, how do we develop such faith today...?

   C. HOW SAVING FAITH IS DEVELOPED...
      1. It is not the result of "credulity"
         a. A common misconception is that faith is "blind"
         b. That there is no logic or reason to faith, one simply "believes"
      2. But faith as described in the Bible is the result of "evidence"!
         a. Faith in God is the result of evidence provided via creation - Ro 1:20; Ps 19:1
         b. Faith in Jesus is the result of evidence provided via revelation - Jn 20:30-31
         -- Certainly the "antediluvian" saints had such evidence, 
            including God speaking to them directly!
      3. Today, faith comes "by hearing the word of God" - Ro 10:17
         a. The word of God presents evidence to believe in God and Jesus
         b. Such as fulfilled prophecy, eyewitness testimony, etc.
         -- Through God's word, we can develop the kind of faith 
            (conviction) which pleases God! - cf. Ro 15:4

CONCLUSION

1. The faith which leads "to the saving of the soul" is one that includes...
   a. A strong conviction that God is
   b. A strong confidence that He will reward those who diligently seek Him

2. It is the same kind of faith that we see in...
   a. Abel, in how he worshipped God
   b. Enoch, in how he walked with God
   c. Noah, in how he worked for God

3. Do you have that same kind of faith today?
   a. If you don't, let the Word of God create such faith in you...
      1) It can produce faith in the existence of God!
      2) It can produce faith in Jesus as His Son who died for you!
   b. If you do, then let it affect the manner in which you...
      1) Worship God
      2) Walk with God
      3) Work for God
      -- As revealed through His Son Jesus Christ

With the right kind of faith, we can have the assurance that...

   * God is pleased

   * We are heirs "of the righteousness which is according to faith"

   * We too will one day "obtain a good testimony"!

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2016

eXTReMe Tracker 

Atheism’s Real Agenda: Censure and Termination by Kyle Butt, M.Div.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=12&article=825


Atheism’s Real Agenda: Censure and Termination

by Kyle Butt, M.Div.


In 2004, Sam Harris published his New York Times bestseller The End of Faith. In that book, Harris supports atheism as the only rational view of the world. He condemns all forms of religious faith, including and especially Christianity, as detrimental and potentially dangerous. He goes so far as to suggest that some beliefs are so serious that simply holding such should be a punishable offense. He stated:
The link between belief and behavior raises the stakes considerably. Some propositions are so dangerous that it may even be ethical to kill people for believing them. This may seem an extraordinary claim, but it merely enunciates an ordinary fact about the world in which we live. Certain beliefs place their adherents beyond the reach of every peaceful means of persuasion, while inspiring them to commit acts of extraordinary violence against others (2004, pp. 52-53, emp. added).
In the immediate context, Harris is referring to militant Muslims whose religious beliefs lead them to kill infidels. Later in the book, however, we see another belief that Harris considers to be a punishable offense. On page 156, Harris discussed his view of political leaders who espouse Christian sentiments. He opined:
Men eager to do the Lord’s work have been elected to other branches of federal government as well. The House majority lead, Tom Delay, is given to profundities like “Only Christianity offers a way to live in response to the realities that we find in this world. Only Christianity.” He claims to have gone into politics “to promote a Biblical worldview.” Apparently feeling that it is impossible to say anything stupid while in the service of this worldview, he attributed the shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado to the fact that our schools teach the theory of evolution (2004, p. 156).

What, then, does Harris believe should happen to a person who openly claims that Christianity is the global solution to the world’s ills? Harris quipped: “We might wonder how it is that pronouncements this floridly irrational do not lead to immediate censure and removal from office” (p. 156, emp. added).
In this brief article we will not go into the facts that the Columbine shootings were inspired by evolution, that atheism is completely irrational, and that Christianity can be shown to be the only solution to the realities of this world. The sole purpose of this article is to show that atheism’s ultimate agenda is to censure those who espouse Christianity and to persecute the belief to extinction. The atheistic community is not a “live and let live” market place of ideas. Harris vividly manifests the fact that atheism views Christianity as a dangerous belief that should be quelled at all cost, including punishing those who espouse it. The “freethought” community’s idea of “freethought” is that all people are “free” to think how they like, as long as that thought process is atheistic at its core and excludes Christianity.
With atheism being one of the fastest growing beliefs in our country, it is time that Christians recognize the agenda of those leading the atheistic charge. If atheism has its way, according to bestselling atheist Sam Harris, it should be a punishable offense to publicly proclaim that Christianity is the only solution to humanity’s problems. Rue the day that atheism and its leaders become prominent enough to enforce such an agenda. For Christians, “now it is high time to awake out of sleep” (Romans 13:11) and stand up for the Truth while we have opportunity.

REFERENCE

Harris, Sam (2004), The End of Faith (New York: W.W. Norton).
Suggested Resources

Atheism’s Contradictory Supernatural “Natural” Explanations by Eric Lyons, M.Min.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=12&article=529


Atheism’s Contradictory Supernatural “Natural” Explanations

by Eric Lyons, M.Min.


Atheism contends that a supernatural Creator does not exist. Allegedly, a supernatural Being is unnecessary in our material Universe. Everything can be explained purely naturally through a study of the natural world. In short, nature exists “naturally,” not supernaturally.
If such is the case, however, then how did nature get here to begin with? In nature, matter and energy do not appear from nothing (so says the First Law of Thermodynamics).1 In nature, nothing always comes from nothing and something always comes from something. So from whence came the first “something”? That is, where did nature itself come from? According to some of the world’s foremost atheistic evolutionists, something came from nothing. Atheistic cosmologist Stephen Hawking stated on national television in 2011, “Nothing caused the Big Bang.”2 In the book The Grand Design that Dr. Hawking co-authored, he and Leonard Mlodinow asserted: “Bodies such as stars and black holes cannot just appear out of nothing. But a whole universe can.”3 So, although it is not natural for something to come from nothing, many atheists assume that it did “in the beginning.”
And what about the first life form? From whence did it arrive? According to atheistic evolution, life was not created supernaturally by a supernatural Creator, rather life came from non-life; it spontaneously generated “naturally.” But does life ever come from non-life naturally? Never. As evolutionist Martin Moe observed, “[A] century of sensational discoveries in the biological sciences has taught us that life arises only from life.”4 It would take a miracle for life to come from non-life, yet atheists contend that no God exists to work in such a supernatural manner. So how did the first life get here? Atheists (who have “refused to have God in their knowledge”—Romans 1:28, ASV), contend that it must have arisen naturally, yet it did so in a way that breaks the natural Law of Biogenesis.5
Atheism can continue to deny the existence of a supernatural Creator, but it does so in the only way possible—illogically and self-contradictorily. Rather than irrationally endowing nature with the ability to act supernaturally while alleging nothing supernatural exists, the reasonable person should conclude that what happened supernaturally must be the effect of a supernatural Being at work.
In truth, both Heaven and Earth reveal that “the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible” (Hebrews 11:3). Rather, the supernatural “God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).

ENDNOTES

1 See Jeff Miller (2013), “Evolution and the Laws of Science: The Laws of Thermodynamics,” Apologetics Press, http://apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=9&article=2786.
2 See “Curiosity: Did God Create the Universe?” (2011), Discovery Channel, August 7, emp. added.
3 2010, New York: Bantam Books, p. 180.
4 “Genes on Ice” (1981), Science Digest, 89[11]:36, emp. added.
5 For more information on the Law of Biogenesis, see Jeff Miller (2013), “The Law of Biogenesis—Parts 1 & 2,” Apologetics Press, http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=9&article=4165&topic=93.


Atheism: Contradictory at Best, Hideous at Worst by Eric Lyons, M.Min.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=12&article=3657


Atheism: Contradictory at Best, Hideous at Worst

by Eric Lyons, M.Min.


Many atheists often describe certain things as being “deplorable,” “atrocious,” or “wicked.” Arguably the most famous atheist in the world in 1976, atheistic philosopher Antony Flew, confessed that the Nazis committed real, objective moral atrocities during the 1930s and 1940s when they slaughtered six million Jews (Warren and Flew, 1976, p. 248). Many atheists admit that it would be morally wrong to rape a woman or to sexually abuse and torture a four-year-old child. Richard Dawkins, the most recognized atheist in the world today, has even boasted that someone who does not believe in evolution may be “wicked” (1989).
Such recognition by atheists of anything being morally wrong begs the question: How can an atheist logically call something atrocious, deplorable, wicked, or morally wrong? According to atheism, we are nothing but matter in motion. We allegedly evolved from rocks and slime over billions of years. We supposedly arose from animals—living organisms that have no sense of morality. Animals eat their young, kill their mates, and steal the food of any animal from which they can successfully take it—whether friend, foe, or family member. Atheists allege that “we are animals…. We like to think of ourselves as elevated above other creatures. But the human body evolved” from animals (Marchant, 2008, 200[2678]:44, emp. added). Thus, the fact is, as Dr. Thomas B. Warren concluded in his debate with Antony Flew, “[T]he basic implication of the atheistic system does not allow objective moral right or objective moral wrong” (1976, p. 49).
Atheistic philosopher Jean Paul Sartre summarized godlessness well when he said, “Everything is indeed permitted if God does not exist” (1961, p. 485, emp. added). If atheists refuse to admit that real moral objectivity exists, then they are forced to admit that when the Jews were starved, gassed, and experimented on “like the animals” they supposedly were (cf. Marchant, 2008), the Nazis did nothing wrong. If human life really is as worthless as bacteria (as atheist Eric Pianka said naturalism demands), then there would be nothing truly wrong with systematically spreading the ebola virus for the purpose of eliminating 90% of the human population, which Dr. Pianka suggested needed to happen in order to save the Earth (see Mims, 2006). Atheists who theoretically take atheistic evolution to its logical conclusion, are forced to admit what Dan Barker acknowledged in his debate with Kyle Butt in February 2009: that, if need be, he would rape millions of girls to save the rest of humanity (Butt and Barker, 2009, pp. 33-36). After all, if we are nothing but advanced ape-like creatures, and “our male ancestors became ancestors in part because they conditionally used rape,” then, as evolutionist Randy Thornhill confessed, “rape is evolutionary, biological, and natural” (2001; cf. Thornhill and Palmer, 2000)—a sickening thought.
Atheists can say, “We don’t like that,” or “We would never do that,” but they can never logically say that something is objectively wrong or right. If they do, they are making a self-defeating statement. They would be contradicting the very naturalism they espouse. If they actually admit that for atheism no objective standards for “good” and “evil” can exist, then rape could just as well be right, while a virtue like bravery could be bad. Either way, atheism loses. It is either contradictory, and thus self-defeating, or it is too horrible for even the most contemptible to contemplate.
“The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good” (Psalm 14:1).

REFERENCES

Butt, Kyle and Dan Barker (2009), The Butt/Barker Debate: Does the God of the Bible Exist? (Montgomery, AL: Apologetics Press).
Dawkins, Richard (1989), “Book Review,” The New York Times, section 7, April 9.
Marchant, Jo (2008), “We Should Act Like the Animals We Are,” New Scientist, 200[2678]:44-45, October 18-24.
Mims, Forrest (2006), “Dealing With Doctor Doom,” The Citizen Scientist, www.sas.org/tcs/weeklyIssues_2006/2006-04-07/feature1p/ index.html.
Sartre, Jean Paul, (1961), “Existentialism and Humanism,” French Philosophers from Descartes to Sartre, ed. Leonard M. Marsak (New York: Meridian).
Thornhill, Randy (2001), “A Natural History of Rape,” Lecture delivered at Simon Fraser University, March 16, http://www.d.umn.edu/cla/faculty/jhamlin/3925/Readings/ Thornhill_on_rape.pdf.
Thornhill, Randy and Craig T. Palmer (2000), A Natural History of Rape (Cambridge: MIT Press).
Warren, Thomas B. and Antony Flew (1976), The Warren-Flew Debate (Jonesboro, AR: National Christian Press).

Fruit of the Spirit – Self Control (part 2) By: Ben Fronczek

http://granvillenychurchofchrist.org/?p=1489


Fruit of the Spirit – part 2 – Self Control



Fruit of the Spirit – Self Control (part 2)
By: Ben Fronczek
How many of you feel like you have a lot of will power? You go on a diet and your are pretty good at sticking to it. You decide to stop eating something, and no matter how much you may like it you simply stop eating it. You decide to go on an exercise regiment and you have no problems making the time and actually following through. Or maybe you realize that you need to stop spending as much money as you do because you realize you need to start saving some on a regular basis. Or maybe you decide you want to read the Bible everyday and then do it?
At least for me, it really depends on what I say I want to do. I seem to have all a lot of will power doing some things, but when it comes to others, I’m not so good. Nine years ago I decided that I wanted to stop eating red meat and pork products because I had some problem with my blood pressure and I was concerned about how much animal fat I was consuming. As much as I love a grilled rib eye steak and BBQ ribs and bacon, I have not touched any sense.
But as much as I have wanted to start and maintain as regular exercise program also to maintain good health, I don’t know how many times I’ve started, but then slacked off and then quit. We are good when it comes to some things but then struggle with others.
When we talk about self control we are also talking about our will power.
Two weeks ago I began to talk about what Paul calls the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5. In that first lesson I talked about what he mentioned first in verse 22 and that was love. In that lesson I mentioned that it’s not just any kind of love, but rather he was talking about ‘agape’ love, or God like love which always seeks to do what’s best for the one you are showing love to, no matter what it takes or how much it will cost you personally.
If you have noticed the title of today’s lesson you may have noticed that I will be discussing self control, another fruit of the Spirit. You may be wondering why I chose to talk about this fruit because it’s not the next one in Paul’s list, but rather the last one he mentions in verse 23.
It’s because if you ever hope to experience and enjoy the other fruits of the Spirit mentioned in these verses; the Joy, the peace, the patience, kindness, goodness, and faith to the degree that God would ultimately like to see us enjoy it is not only important and necessary to develop a God like love, we also need to strengthen our will power and self control with the Spirit’s help.
I have heard someone say that God-like love and self control are like book ends on a shelf holding up all the other fruits in place because both are absolutely necessary.
As I mentioned in that first lesson, I believe that when we are born, our mind and spirit are not a total blank slate. Rather as God knit us together in the womb, I believe that He per-programmed each of us with some basic information including these fruits or attributes. What I mean is, all humans can love, experience joy, peace, patience, kindness and self control to some degree even if they are not a Christian.
But when God’s own Spirit makes His home in a born again believer, I believe that the Spirit helps us grow and mature, prompting and helping us to reach a higher level of spirituality and self control…that is if we listen and allow Him to help us grow.
I believe it is important for us to understand that God never tells us to do anything without giving us the ability to do it. God has given us the ability to control our self. God says we can. We are the ones who say we cannot.   And as long as we believe we can’t then we are not going to. (J. Meyers)
We should never say, ‘I just can’t help myself’;  for example:
– I just can’t help losing my temper when they does that, or when someone pull out in front of me on the road. – Or I just can’t help but buy something for myself when I go shopping, a blouse, shoes, tools or anything else you have a weakness for. – Or I can’t help but be late all the time – Or if there is candy or cookies laying out, I can’t resist eating some if not all of it until is gone.
You shouldn’t say you can’t resist or control yourself because in all honesty, you can. You have not only been pre-programmed with self control, you also have the Spirit of God in you to help you control yourself.
Now the devil wants you to believe you have no control, no will power, or that you cannot resist.. Why? Because ultimately he wants to rob you of the joy, the peace, the patience you can and should enjoy with others. And rather than claiming a victory over that part of your life or the temptations that come our way, he wants you to fail, feel defeated, get upset, feel miserable and guilty and rob from you those fruits that God wants you to enjoy.
But ultimately the choices is yours. Will you claim victory or defeat?
I believe the Apostle Paul learned the secret of this and wrote about it when he said, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Phil 4:12-13
I believe that when Paul wrote about Self Control being a fruit of the Holy Spirit he was not implying that we could gain control over all difficult thing on our own. Rather, this kind of self control means that we choose to listen to and keep in step with the Spirit of God and act according to His will and depend on Him to help us do so. We should choose to allow God and His will to lead us down the best path, even if that path may be a difficult one for us.
Rather than saying I can’t resist when tempted to do something I would suggest that you remind yourself; even say to yourself, ‘I HAVE SELF CONTROL, I CAN DO ALL THINGS, RESIST ALL THINGS WITH MY GOD’S HELP. AND I AM NOT GOING TO GIVE THE DEVIL THE SATISFACTION OF SEEING ME GIVE IN OR FAIL IN THIS.’  
Remember we can do all things with God’s help!
You have to say it like you believe it and believe it when you say it!
Learn from the Apostle Paul’s example. Listen to some of things he wrote to those early Christians concerning himself.
1 Corinthians 9:19-26 “ 19 For since I am free from all I can make myself a slave to all, in order to gain even more people. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew to gain the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) to gain those under the law. 21 To those free from the law I became like one free from the law (though I am not free from God’s law but under the law of Christ) to gain those free from the law. 22 To the weak I became weak in order to gain the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that by all means I may save some.”(There are a couple of things that motivate an individual to discipline or control them self. One is clearly being aware of the consequences of doing something or not. But the best motivation is Love – God like love which Paul demonstrated here in this verse – choosing to become all things to all men to win a them over to the One he himself loves, Christ Jesus. He goes on…)       23 I do all these things because of the gospel, so that I can be a participant in it.  24 Do you not know that all the runners in a stadium compete, but only one receives the prize? So run to win. 25 Each competitor must exercise self-control in everything. They do it to receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one.
26 So I do not run uncertainly or box like one who hits only air. 27 Instead I subdue (or buffet) my body and make it my slave, so that after preaching to others I myself will not be disqualified.”
This past week I did some research on the internet and I read that scientists have actually found ways to help us increase our will power. There are actually some simple things that you can do physically to help. Scientist have found that will power can actually get depleted thru out the day if we are not careful how we treat our self. They suggest:
#1. Learn how to manage stress better. They have found that when we are under a lot of stress it drains our body of energy, and our will power goes down. So we need to find ways to de-stress if we feel it building. I don’t know about you but when I get stress our or weak I cave in easier. Some go for the junk food, others get angry…
#2. Encourage yourself to stick to your plan. Self affirming comments to yourself really help. (Tell yourself I can do this…Say it like you mean it!)
#3. Get enough sleep. They have found that sleep (getting enough rest) helps your brain manage your body’s energy better (If you get less than 6 hours/day and it puts more stress on your body and brain, weakening both.)
#4. Take so time to mediate each day. Scientists have found after 8 weeks those who mediate have more will power and self control.
#5. Get more exercise and eat more nutritious food.
#6. Learn to postpone those things you are tempted to do to a later date.For example by putting off eating a piece of chocolate cake to later relieves stress and enables one to not eat it all together.
Here’s one of my own suggestion:
#7. Get away from what temps you ASAP. If you are tired or stressed and you are prone to eat sweets when your will power is weak, stay away from the bakery or candy shop.. as a matter of fact head in the opposite direction and find something else to distract you.
Paul buffed his body so that he could have more control and in some ways we can as well. But we also have God’s word and His Spirit to help us.
Titus 2:11-14 11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people. 12 It trains us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 as we wait for the happy fulfillment of our hope in the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. 14 He gave himself for us to set us free from every kind of lawlessness and to purify for himself a people who are truly his, who are eager to do good. 15 So communicate these things with the sort of exhortation or rebuke that carries full authority. Don’t let anyone look down on you.”
So I say, Claim your victory and ask God to help you take control of your life.
Stop saying I can’t, I have no will power, no self control, I’m too weak… You may be too weak but you are not alone. God’s Spirit is inside you help you. So take that first and that 2nd step.. And when you mess up and fail, get back on track asap. Eventually you will experience a victory with God’s help!
For more lessons click on the following link: http://granvillenychurchofchrist.org/?page_id=566
All comments can be emailed to: bfronzek@gmail.com

He who has ears to hear, let him hear! Matthew 11:15 by Roy Davison

http://www.oldpaths.com/Archive/Davison/Roy/Allen/1940/ears.html


He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
Matthew 11:15
"The hearing ear and the seeing eye, The Lord has made both of them" (Proverbs 20:12).
By means of a marvelous mechanism, God gives us the ability to hear.
As I speak, my diaphragm, vocal chords, throat, mouth, teeth and tongue move in intricate ways to produce a complex of sound waves, vibrations in the air.
A message is being sent! Can you hear it? Are you listening?
A funnel-shaped cup on each side of your head catches the sound waves and enables you to know the direction of the source. The waves swirl around and enter the ear canal. The delicate skin on this canal grows outwardly at 2 or 3 mm per day to continually renew itself.
The outer section of this canal is coated by a water-repellent wax-like substance which traps dirt and helps to keep water out of your ears. The inner part of the canal does not have this substance, which is why you should never poke a swab into your ear, or the wax may be pushed back too far and block the canal. When I was a boy, my father warned me not to put anything other than my elbow in my ear.
The back of the ear canal is closed off by a membrane called an ear drum. The sound waves of my voice strike this membrane and cause it to vibrate. Thus, the air vibrations are converted into mechanical vibrations. Attached to the inside of the ear drum, there is a lever system composed of three small bones. They transmit the mechanical vibrations to the footplate, which is in direct contact with the fluid in the inner ear. Thus, the mechanical vibrations are converted into fluid vibrations. To equalize the pressure on both sides of the ear drum, a tube (the eustachian tube) runs from behind the ear drum to your throat. Swallowing helps balance the pressure.
The inner ear converts the hydraulic vibrations into nerve impulses.
The outer section of the inner ear, called the vestibule, is also used for balance and orientation. Operating something like the water tube in a level, it lets you know which way is down, and gives you a sense of motion, which is your sixth sense. Spinning around causes this fluid to slosh about, which makes you dizzy because your brain no longer knows which way is up. The sensors in the vestibule are also used to keep the visual image in your brain "right-side-up" when you tilt your head.
The back part of the inner ear is a coiled duct, shaped something like a snail shell. It contains an extremely complex system of nerve fibers which can detect frequencies from 20 cycles per second to as high as 20,000 cycles per second. The physical processing of such a wide range of frequencies is an amazing engineering feat, especially since it is done in a mechanical device the size of a pea.
The decreasing diameter of the coil, causes the wave crests of the various frequencies to strike the walls at different places, which enables the nerves to report reception of that particular frequency to the brain. 23,500 sensors send these signals to the brain through the acoustic nerve which is a bundle of about 30,000 individual fibers. These fibers are grouped according to frequency, and the intensity of a sound is indicated by the number of fibers carrying the sound. These signals go to different parts of the brain, where the signals from the two ears are mixed, decoded, insignificant signals are filtered out, and significant signals are acted on and stored in memory.
Thousands of different creatures have ears specifically engineered for their own needs.
The ear was made by God (Proverbs 20:12). It did not evolve, it could not, not in a hundred billion years.
How well do we use these marvelous ears God has given us?
When Jesus was transfigured on the mountain, the Father spoke from heaven: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, Hear Him!" (Matthew 17:5).
Jesus explained that some refuse to hear: "For the heart of this people has grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their heart and turn, So that I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear" (Matthew 13:15,16).
Jesus presented the truth on a take-it-or-leave-it basis: "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" (Matthew 11:15). Anyone who has children knows it is possible for audible words to be ignored and simply "not heard"! Are we listening to our Father? Are we willing hearers of the word of God?
In the parable of the sower, Jesus said that good hearts will hear and obey the word: "But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience" (Luke 8:15).
Jesus also warned: "Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given" (Mark 4:24). He once told the crowd: "Hear Me, everyone, and understand" (Mark 7:14). And on one occasion He told His disciples: "Let these words sink down into your ears" (Luke 9:44).
Jesus explained that the family of God consists of those who listen to the Father: "My mother and My brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it" (Luke 8:21). He also said: "He who is of God hears God's words" (John 8:47); "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me" (John 10:27); "Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice" (John 18:37).
Paul warned Timothy that some people will turn their ears away from the truth: "Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables" (2 Timothy 4:2-4).
Seven times in Revelation, in the letters to the seven churches of Asia Minor, Christ commands: "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (Revelation 2:7,11,17,29; 3:6,13,22). The Spirit speaks through the holy Scriptures: "We also have the prophetic word made more sure, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:19-21). Are we listening? Are we heeding the prophetic word? Are we hearing what the Spirit says to the churches?
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16,17).
Most people who call themselves Christians, do not listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. They prefer to follow their own whims, the latest trend, or the traditions of men.
The only way to really be a church of Christ, the only way to really be a Christian, is to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
In the Gospels, Jesus cried out time and time again: "If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear" (Matthew 11:15; 13:9, 43; Mark 4:9,23; 7:16; Luke 8:8; 14:35). And in Revelation 13:9, as the New Testament draws to a close, we read it again: "If anyone has an ear, let him hear."
Roy Davison
The Scripture quotations in this article are from
The New King James Version. ©1979,1980,1982,
Thomas Nelson Inc., Publishers unless indicated otherwise.
Permission for reference use has been granted.

Published in The Old Paths Archive
(http://www.oldpaths.com)

Pride before disaster by Gary Rose


They have no fear of God; they are prideful, unrepentant and boastful. From the smile on this young “lady’s” face, she is even happy about all this.

I find this picture beyond belief. Understanding the thinking of these people is beyond my comprehension. Apart from the Scriptures, who really knows what lies beyond our death? So, isn’t it the absolute pinnacle of stupidity to boast about something you do not understand.

It is written in the book of Jude…


Jude ( World English Bible )
  5  Now I desire to remind you, though you already know this, that the Lord, having saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who didn’t believe. 6 Angels who didn’t keep their first domain, but deserted their own dwelling place, he has kept in everlasting bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day.  7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them, having, in the same way as these, given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are shown as an example, suffering the punishment of eternal fire.  8 Yet in the same way, these also in their dreaming defile the flesh, despise authority, and slander celestial beings.  9 But Michael, the archangel, when contending with the devil and arguing about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him an abusive condemnation, but said, “May the Lord rebuke you!” 10 But these speak evil of whatever things they don’t know. What they understand naturally, like the creatures without reason, they are destroyed in these things.   (emphasis added)  11 Woe to them! For they went in the way of Cain, and ran riotously in the error of Balaam for hire, and perished in Korah’s rebellion.  12 These are hidden rocky reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you, shepherds who without fear feed themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn leaves without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; 13 wild waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the blackness of darkness has been reserved forever.  14 About these also Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with ten thousands of his holy ones,  15 to execute judgment on all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their works of ungodliness which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”   16 These are murmurers and complainers, walking after their lusts (and their mouth speaks proud things), showing respect of persons to gain advantage.   (emphasis added)

  17  But you, beloved, remember the words which have been spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.  18 They said to you that “In the last time there will be mockers, walking after their own ungodly lusts.”  19 These are they who cause divisions, and are sensual, not having the Spirit.   (emphasis added)    20 But you, beloved, keep building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.  21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.  22 On some have compassion, making a distinction,  23 and some save, snatching them out of the fire with fear, hating even the clothing stained by the flesh. (emphasis added)


We know what lies beyond this life because the Bible tells us about it. And that knowledge of either eternal blessing or eternal punishment should be enough to wake us from the desire to sin.

May the God of all creation work on the hearts of those poor people who are mocking God by their attitudes and actions. May HE give them understanding and a repentant spirit, so that they may be saved from the destiny they so proudly proclaim.

One last thing – help me to remember to pray for them, because they desperately need it!